


Happy Birthday

by rizcriz



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M, and quentin and eliot cant keep their hands off each other, margos a good friend even if she pretends shes not, todd is a part of the group even if nobody admits it, todd is lonely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 12:19:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15170630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rizcriz/pseuds/rizcriz
Summary: Margo & co, decide to throw a birthday party for Todd.





	Happy Birthday

Kady sets down the cake on the dining room table and crosses her arms, “Remind me again  _why_  were doing this?”

Margo barely looks up from her place of directing Eliot on where to hang the banner, “Because you heard what he said.”

“Yeah, his life is pathetic. That doesn’t exp—“

“No, El. Two inches higher.”

Eliot sighs and lifts the banner another two inches, shooting Margo an exasperated eyebrow raise. “Here?”

“Perfect.” She turns to Kady, then, tilting her head. “The reason we’re doing this, is because whenever we need help or information, he’s always there for us.”

“Because he’s a stalker.”

“No.” Margo rolls her eyes and looks back at the kitchen, calling out, “Q, how are the tacos coming?”

“They—Uh—“ He peaks his head out of the kitchen door, looking frazzled with half of his ponytail falling around his face, and a brief trail of smoke following after him. “ _Great_!” He exclaims, offering a worrying grin before disappearing back behind the doorway.

Margo takes a step in his direction before Eliot sighs behind her and climbs down from the ladder. “I’ll handle it,” he says, patting her shoulder gentle before rushing off towards the kitchen as a loud crash sounds through the doorway. “You better not be dead!” He calls as he gets to the kitchen. He stops just outside the room, hands falling to his side. “Oh for fucks sake, Q,” he murmurs before shaking his head and disappearing into the room.

“He’s…as much of a friend as we’ve allowed him to be,” Margo finally says, waving an arm distractedly as Penny opens the front door and appears with arms full of present bags. “ _Finally_! Did you get all the gifts?”

Penny clambers into the room, glaring faintly as he drops the bags with a clumsy thump. “Yeah. Thanks for the help,” he mutters, turning on his heel to close the door behind him.

“You’re doing just fine,” Margo goads, smirking at Kady. “Julia should be here soon with the birthday boy. Find Josh. He should have all the DJ equipment ready.”

“I literally want nothing else to do with this.”

Margo’s smirk slowly fades, until she can narrow her eyes and glare up at Kady. “Look,” she says, taking an intimidating step closer, “Todd is a little weird. But he has no friends. No family.  _Nothing_. Except he smiles at everyone, and helps everyone, and he asks for nothing in return. So just this once, Queen of the Cold Hearts Club, you’re going to put a smile on your lips, and pretend to be this kids friend.”

“Or what?”

“Let’s just say I hope you’re not attached to your hair. Or, your clothes, as drab as they are. Or,” she pauses, the corner of her lips quirking up as she glances over to Penny, where he’s wandered over to the kitchen doorway and is watching Quentin and Eliot with unrelenting judgement, “Your boyfriend.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Say happy birthday and dance to a few sappy songs and you won’t have to find out.”

Kady watches her for a few moments, before sighing and letting her hands fall to her side. “Fine.”

Margo grins. “Great! Do me a favor and make sure Q and El aren’t just making out in the kitchen. Wait—no. Have you seen Alice?”

“No. Why?”

“She’s supposed to be gathering other students Todd knows. I haven’t seen her since I sent her off—“

The front door opens and Alice appears, hair a mess, and a scowl on her face. She looks around for a moment before spotting Margo and marching over to her. “Do you know how many students are coming to this party?” She asks, but doesn’t wait for Margo to respond, “All of them. Apparently Todd goes to everyone’s parties, even kids nobody else even knows. So. I don’t know how you plan on hiding them all, but they’re out front. Good luck.” She starts to turn around.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

She stops, takes a deep breath, and says, “I need an hour away from humanity. Because if I hear one more person scream, ‘ _The parties for Todd? Hell yeah_!’ I may actually kill myself. Again.” Her eyes widen a fraction before she nods and darts up the staircase before Margo can even think up a response.

Margo stares after for a moment before nodding to herself. “Okay,” She says, turning and pointing a finger at Kady absentmindedly as she writes something down with her other hand, “You…” She trails off, before setting her pen down and holding the paper out, “cast this spell on all the people outside. Tell them to come in and hide.”

Kady doesn’t move for a long moment, before she sighs dramatically and reaches for the paper, snatching it out of Margo’s hand and stomping outside.

Margo watches the door close behind her before rolling her eyes and making her way to the kitchen. Penny slips passed her and heads towards the bar. “Don’t even think about it, Adiyodi!” She calls out, pointing a finger over her shoulder at him. She hears him set the bottle back down on the bar counter heavy handed and flop down on the couch. She grins to herself and steps into the kitchen.

To find chaos.

“What the  _fuck_?”

Eliot looks up from where his face is buried in Quentin’s neck, and at least has the decency to look a little guilty. “Hey… Bambi…”

Quentin opens his eyes, and flinches at the look Margo shoots him. “To be fair,” He says, slowly unraveling himself from Eliot, “This is all his fault.”

Eliot looks ready to argue, but then just shrugs, making a face. “Yeah. He’s not wrong.”

Margo blinks once, twice. And then takes two steps into the room. “And the tacos?”

“Oh.” Eliot glances down at the stove, and then waves a hand at it. “Fucked. Q can’t cook to save his life.”

“I did warn you,” Quentin murmurs, from behind Eliot, “That I can’t cook.”

“Shut up.” She looks up at the ceiling, eyes flickering back and forth between the smoke detector and the light, before snapping her fingers and pointing at the dup, “Okay. use the portal in the hall closet. Go get a shitload of decent Tacos. And whatever else. Just make sure you get the tacos.”

“Why tacos?”

She snaps her gaze back down to Quentin. “How am I the only one who knows anything about Todd?”

“Honestly, Bambi,” Eliot says as he grabs Quentin’s hand and starts towards the hallway, “I don’t even know how you know anything about him.” He leans down and presses a kiss to her cheek. “We’ll be back in a bit.”

“Julia should be here with Todd in half an hour. Be back before then or suffer the consequences.”

Quentin nods. “I’ll make sure we’re back…”

“Good. Go!”

**

They get back with five minutes to spare, and at least three new hickies on Quentin’s throat. Margo silently directs them to the table so they can set the Taco’s and chips down on the table. Across the house, Josh is finalizing the set up on the DJ stand, calling out songs Margo’s never heard of but he claims are ‘Todd’s favorite, he’s going to love it!’ or something equally uninteresting.

Kady opens the front door, and ushers all the guests into the house, then, as well.

Before Margo knows whats happening, there are so many people pressed into the cottage, that they’re spilling up onto the staircase, and into the kitchen. “Jesus,”  She mutters, as she checks on the proximity spell.

“Should I just call Jules—“

“No, shut up, Q,” Margo mutters, before sighing and patting his hair with a quiet apology.

The light on the spell gets brighter and she smirks, shoving her way through the house until she can stand on the coffee table. “Everyone!” She screams, “Shut the fuck up!”

It doesn’t happen all at once, but the crowd slowly goes silent, much like a wave.

“Perfect. They’re just down the walkaway. So, keep shutting the fuck up. And when the door opens, yell ‘surprise’ it’s that fucking simple. If you fuck it up, I will turn you into toads!”

Somebody turns off the lights, and they all go quiet.

“Thank you so much for today, Julia,” Todd says, muffled through the door, “This was so much fun.”

Julia laughs, kind as always as Todd puts his key into the door, “I try,” She says.

And then the door opens.

Margo spots his face, just before he flicks the lights on, and three hundred cramped students scream, “Surprise!”

She keeps her place on the coffee table, to keep an eye on him.

His eyes go wide, and he drops the bags in his hands as he stares out at the crowd of people. His mouth falls open. “What—what. I—“ He turns back to look at Julia, and whispers, “Can you see it, too?”

She grins at him, and ruffles his hair. “Yes.”

“Is it your birthday, too?”

Her smile falls a fraction, before she shakes her head, and directs him back to the crowd. “It’s for you, Todd.”

His voice is small, barely audible, as his gaze sweeps over the students again, and says, “Oh.”

And just like that, the crowd envelopes him, wishing happy birthdays and inside jokes Margo knows nothing about. Josh starts playing a shitty song from the early 2000’s that almost makes her regret this, but she’s slipping passed Todd, and catches the giant, confused grin on his face, and remembers why she’s done it. She smirks to herself, shoving her way through the crowd until the can reach her friends.

Eliot looks down at her, his arms wrapped around Quentins waist, with Quentin pulled up against his chest. “Pray tell,” He says, “Was it worth it?”

Before she can respond, Todd comes bounding through the room, directly towards them. “Guys!” He exclaims, thousand watt grin on his face, “Do you see this?”

“Hard not to,” Penny mutters, “There are so many people in this house I can practically taste their breath.”

Todd furrows his brow, pointing a finger and opening his mouth like he’s going to respond before shaking his head and turning his attention on Margo. “Thank you!”

“Why are you thanking me? Everyone’s here.”

“It has the kind of organized chaos that only you can create.”

“Huh.” She crosses her arms, motioning with her chin at the crowd, “Why aren’t you celebrating and dancing? There’s food, music, presents, and cake. Go enjoy.”

He tilts his head, before holding a hand out to her hesitantly. “Wanna dance with me?”

She pretends to think about it, before sighing dramatically and extending her hand out to him, “One time deal.”

His grin widens impossibly as he nods and drags her into the crowd.

_Yeah. It’s worth it_ , she thinks as she loses sight of her friends.

**

Eight dances, six tacos, and two hundred less people later, Margo’s sitting on the couch with Eliot and Kady, watching Todd, Josh and Quentin dance like lunatics on the makeshift dancefloor, which a spell plays the music for them.

“I thought he was going to cry when they brought the cake out,” Margo murmurs.

“You thought? He actually  _did_ ,” Kady replies, turning to look at her. “When everyone went to get their own slices, he kind of turned away and started wiping at his eyes like he didn’t want anyone to see.”

“How sad.”

Margo elbows Eliot. “Be nice.”

“I’m still here, aren’t i?”

“Only because Q is.”

He shrugs a shoulder. “The parties not so bad, either.” Which is as close to a ‘Todd’s not so bad, either’ as he’ll get.

Kady leans forward, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t act like you didn’t look all pleased when he opened your present.”

“You bought Todd a present?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

Kady scoffs. “Who else would buy him a designer vest? Come  _on_.”

“Shut up, Kady.”

Margo smirks to herself, letting them fight as she looks back on the dancing, drunken fools still on the dance floor.

Todd’s stopped dancing; breathing heavily and letting his gaze rake over everything in the living room. The decorations in shambles, the plates with frosting coating the edges, and the countless taco shells lining the floor. The pile of wrapping paper in the corner of the room, and the broken priceless items tucked into the study nook. His chin trembles after a moment, and he wraps his arms around himself.

Margo slowly pushes up from the couch and makes her way over to him. “You good?”

He nods, grinning at him, though he’s too drunk to hide the misty film over his eyes. “Yeah! This is—it’s amazing. You—you didn’t have to do all of this.”

“I know. I never do anything I don’t want to do.”

“I mean, you hang out with me—“

“Like I said, Todd.”

He swallows. “Oh.”

“Come on, Birthday boy. How about one more dance?” She holds a hand out for him.

He stares at it for a moment, before he blinks and nods, just as a tear slips down his cheek. He lets go of his stomach, and reaches ip quickly to wipe it away. “Sorry–Sorry. I’m—I’m not. I’m trying not to be weird, i promise. I just—“

“Todd,” Margo says, slow and patient, “Have you met Quentin? Trust me. Nobody cares if you’re weird. Let’s dance.”

“I just—I’ve never—“

“I know.”

“And this—“

“I  _know_ , Todd.”

“I—I need you to know that I really—“

“Stop.” Margo places a hand on his chest and offers him a glare. “Thank me, and I’ll turn you into a toad. Do you want to dance or don’t you?”

“I do.”

“Then lets dance.”

“Okay.”

She pulls him back to the center of the dance floor, and it’s not long before all of their friends, including Kady and Alice, have circled around them to join in.


End file.
